Without The Mask
by LightedSoul
Summary: Normal. Could this matter of simplicity be reached by such a complex character? Normal. Robin always wondered what it feel like to be considered... normal. When his oppurtunity comes, will he leave behind his freinds, his life, his love? RS
1. Just Another Day

It started out like another other day. He woke up around 6am to go jogging in the city park. He stopped at a local Starbucks to pick up something to drink. When he got home, he squeezed in a quick shower a quick shower and got dressed at about 7:45. Knowing that no one else was yet awake, he went downstairs to await his friends.

He entered the living room and sat down on the sofa. Digging through the cushions, he found the remote and tried watching something on TV. Failing his doomed attempt to find anything, he turned off the useless device and leaned back into the sofa. His eyes closed thinking about his life.

Up until this point in time it was all a blur. He'd heard stories of his wonderful parents and their tragic death. He'd heard the rumors of his long-lost sister living somewhere in the world. Many nights he'd wondered if there was something out there that could truly make all the hurt vanish. He'd started a new family by now. A family of friends. They were all he cared for in this world. But still, somewhere inside him there was a longing to know about…well, himself. His past. Why he was who he was. It seemed to him he'd never know.

Suddenly his thoughts were interrupted by flashing lights and that annoying sound. "Trouble," he whispered to himself.

"Titans, let's go!" he commanded, running through the tower and pounding on doors. "Get up!"

Raven, Cyborg, and Beast Boy came running towards their leader.

"Where's Starfire?" he questioned. The other titans shrugged. "Star?"

She came down the hall and to her teammates looking rather… well, sad. An unusual sight.

"Are you okay?" asked Raven, a little troubled that she couldn't read her friend's innermost emotions.

Starfire looked suddenly happier. "Why, of course, friend," she started, "But that is not important at the moment. Robin, what is the trouble?"

He explained the situation: a simple robbery at a downtown jewelry shop. No big deal. Or maybe it was.

When they got to the scene of the robbery, there was nothing there. No broken windows, no screaming or yelling, as a matter of fact, the store wasn't even open yet.

"What's going on," Cyborg questioned, "Beast Boy, this is a lame, lame prank."

"Yeah, right, dude," exclaimed B.B., "I'm not even awake at this time in the morning! You seriously think I'm gonna go around messing the alarm system just to prank you?"

"Maybe it was just a technical glitch," Robin suggested.

"Maybe not," replied Raven.

There was someone in the store, sitting down in the middle of the floor. The titans broke into the shop, ready to fight this new opponent. She looked like just an ordinary schoolgirl, mary-janes and black bobby-socks up to her knees. A red and white plaid skirt and a white blouse with a maroon tie. She was wearing a gray school jacket with a maroon "T" on the top right. She wore her jet-black hair in two identical braids with red ribbons tied into bows at the ends. The china blue eyes were calm and collected as she admired the diamond necklace she held in her hands.

"Is this some kind of joke," Beast Boy exclaimed, "She's just any other teenage girl!"

"Yeah," replied the girl, still looking at the necklace, "I'm just a normal kid, pretending to be abnormal…. A lot like you, Robin."

"What?" asked Robin, a little insulted at the girl's remark.

She looked up at him with a smirk. With a small laugh, she rose to her feet, put the necklace in the glass case from whence it came, and walked over to him. "You know exactly what I mean," she challenged, "You're no different from any other kid walking down the street."

"Ok, cut it out," said Robin, aggravated with the stranger, "I don't care who's normal, you're still a thief and you're still going to prison.

"Don't you have to actually steal something to be considered a thief, wonder-boy?"

"Well… yeah, but…. Don't call me 'wonder boy'…."

"I know your sister."

Robin paused. His sister? Was this some sort of joke? Or were all the rumors true? Was there actually someone out there who could give him all the answers about his past? Did he actually have a sister?

The girl got up. "Almost time for school," she announced, "I've got to jet. Nice meeting you, wonder-boy. Oh, and here," she handed him a small piece of paper with writing on it. "Call me if you have any questions."

Robin was stunned. He held the note, it read _Stacy's waiting. Call Tasha 555-7890_

What would he do now?

When the titans got home Robin went directly to his room. _Who's Stacy? Was that girl Stacy? Or was she Tasha? Is that girl my sister?_

His thoughts were interrupted by a knock on his door. He opened it to find only a picture of two little children: a young girl and looked like her twin brother. Wait, that little boy was… Robin. He flipped the note and found the reading: "Stacy and Dick Grayson, 3 years old"

"Dick Grayson?" Reality hit him. The little boy in the picture was….him. And the little girl…his sister? His sister. What would he do now? Call the number? Did that number hold the key to his past? Did his sister know about his past? Or did she even know about him?


	2. Decisions

**A/N**: In this story, Dick Grayson is simply a name. It has no background, no Batman reference. Robin doesn't know anything about his past, and Bruce Wayne never cared for him or anything. In fact, he doesn't even exist (in this story, anyway).

Robin sat on his bed alone, thinking over the day. It was all pretty much a blur up until now. Now, all was clear. It was just a confused, mislead boy and his thoughts. The innermost part of his soul was vulnerable. His soul was weak, lying alone in an open field of thought, with no one to protect him, nothing to hide him from harm's way.

This was a strange state of thought. Usually he was very protected, usually he never let his guard down. But at this very moment he was completely open to any type of damage that came his way.

And he knew it, too. He knew that if anyone tried to break his heart, it wouldn't take much effort. But as to the reason why, he was completely unaware. Why didn't he just call?

He knew he should call. He knew should try to find out if there was someone out there that knew about him. About his past.

He knew he wanted to call. More than anything he wanted to call. He wanted to at least know if there actually was some one out there that knew about his past.

All his life he'd wondered. Wondered about who he was, who his family was, if there was anyone out there wondering about him. Now that he knew there was, or at least had good evidence as to why there would be, he wouldn't even call to find out for sure.

He knew all he needed to know. He knew who to call, he knew how to reach her, he knew he wanted to. Now all he needed to know was why he didn't.

His thoughts, as they so often were, were interrupted. This time by a knock on his door. "What?" he asked, a little annoyed at the intruder.

"Robin?" her simple request for his attention was ignored by him, for he didn't want to talk to anyone at the time. she walk in slowly, her step as graceful as a gliding feather and her stance as steady as the tick of the clock.

"Robin," she started, a little confused at what to say, "I am… worried. About you, and what happened today…"

She was cut off by his smile and nod of reassurance. "I'm ok, Star, really."

She didn't fully believe him, but she continued with a different subject anyway. "You should have something for dinner," she invited "There is the pizza awaiting your arrival downstairs." She said it with a slight piece of hope in her voice.

He let out a sigh of entertainment at the way she told him there was pizza for dinner. He loved the way she talked. It was like a foreign language to him, only he understood it. "No thanks, Star," he started. "I think I'll go out for dinner tonight."

She nodded and left the room. His eyes were stuck to the door for quite a while after she left, making sure no one was coming.

He sighed as he picked up the phone. Did he really want to do this? Did he really want to leave his friends? His responsibility? His life? "Oh, come on," he thought aloud, "I'm just going to meet her."

He dialed the number and waited as the line rang three times. "For now." He decided, uneasy.

"Hello?" came the response from the other side of the line. He choked. What would he say? What should he say? "HELLO?"

"Is… Tasha there?" he spit out.

"This is she, who's this?"

"This is… this Dick Grayson."


End file.
